Sophomores Shine Through Class of Kentucky Program

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 12, 2012) — The 2011-12 academic year has been a banner year at the University of Kentucky with record enrollment, the dedication of the Wildcat Sculpture and even a men’s basketball National Championship. That tradition of excellence continues tomorrow as UK welcomes more than 180 high school sophomores to campus as part of the Class of Kentucky program.

UK wanted to recognize high school sophomores, reaching a group that is sometimes overlooked. Since 2004, UK has welcomed distinguished high school students to campus each summer as members of the Class of Kentucky. Each high school in the Commonwealth selects one outstanding sophomore on the basis of demonstrated leadership, community service and academic skills.

“The central purpose of the program,” Kelley Bozeman, marketing director and one of the visionaries for the program, said, “is to acknowledge the impressive accomplishments of some of the state’s most academically talented and socially committed students.”

Each summer, Class of Kentucky students and their families come to campus for a daylong visit where they meet current UK students, mingle with UK administrators and listen to a keynote speaker. More than 1,500 students, including 185 in this year’s class, are part of the Class of Kentucky.

“The Class of Kentucky program not only recognizes a group of the Commonwealth’s brightest students,” Don Witt, vice provost for enrollment management, said, “but also showcases what UK has to offer as a place to learn and develop one’s potential.”

And Class of Kentucky students are enrolling at UK. In the program’s first four years, more than 20 percent of each class chose to attend the University of Kentucky. Their academic success is also remarkable. The Class of Kentucky students who came to UK had excellent academic credentials, with high school GPAs that ranged from 3.98 to 4.14 and their average ACT scores ranged from 29.8 to 30, nearly 5 points higher than an average UK freshman's score.

Their high school academic success has translated to college success with a first-year retention rate that ranged from 88.1 to 97.9 percent, well above the overall cohorts for those years. Their mean cumulative GPA was just over 3.5, well above the typical UK first-year GPAs ranging from 2.60 to 2.76.

Their academic success is only a portion of their contribution to the campus community. Class of Kentucky alumni are campus leaders and making a difference. Class of Kentucky alumni are working as campus tour guides, leading their fraternity or sorority, participating in undergraduate research and traveling overseas while studying abroad. They have also been named Singletary Scholars, served as college ambassadors and selected for the University Leadership Summit.

"These students will be recruited by colleges and universities around the country,” Witt said. “We want them to know that the University of Kentucky is a great institution with a lot to offer.”

For more information on the Class of Kentucky program, visit the program’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UKClassofKentucky.

Members of the 2012 Class of Kentucky are (listed alphabetically by last name):

Abby Adams from Russell County High School; Allyson Akers from Betsy Layne High School; Corbin Allender from Bardstown High School; Krishna Ammisetty from Pikeville High School; Travis Anderson from Caverna High School; Lila Asher from Ballard High School; Justin Austin from Lee County High School; Karan Babbarwal from duPont Manual High School; Bradley Baker from Heath High School; Annie Baker from West Carter High School; Timothy Baker from Buckhorn High School; Blake Baldridge from Prestonsburg High School; Conner Ball from Trimble County High School; Matt Barber from Paintsville High School;

Sarah Beck from Marshall County High School; Owen Bell from Bracken County High School; Camrin Bennett from Allen County Scottsville High School; Haley Berryman from Powell County High School; Daniel Bertram from Monticello High School; Sarah Bier from St. Henry District High School; Kelly Bilz from Covington Latin High School; Samantha Bishop from South Laurel High School; Caitlyn Black from Barbourville High School; C.J. Blackstone from Middlesboro High School; Alyssa Blanchet from Newport Central Catholic ; Abby Blandford from Marion County High School; Jacob Boeschel from The Academy at Shawnee; Sydni Bogar from Belfry High School;

Andrea Bomkamp from Dixie Heights High School; Dylan Boone from Murray High School; William Bowling from Bell County High School; Will Bowling from Owsley County High School; Irina Boyechko from Woodford County High School; Erin Bradford from Harrison County High School; Erika Brewer from Menifee County High School; Nikki Brooks from Dayton High School; Gentry Brown from Mercer County High School; Hannah Burkett from Somerset High School; Phillip Burkhardt from Martha Layne Collins High School; Jarrad Burton from Morgan County High School; David Bush from Rose Hill Christian School; Paige Carnes from Edmonson County High School; Victoria Carroll from Allen Central High School; Jamie Castle from Magoffin County High School;

Emily Catron from Cumberland County High School; Nathan Cherry from South Warren High School; Katie Clark from Leslie County High School; Adam Clem from Harlan County High School; Taylor Cochran from Oneida Baptist Institute; Stephen Corbitt II from Paul Blazer High School; Austin Correll from Elizabethtown High School; Lauren Daly from Highlands High School; Chloe Dempsey from McLean County High School; Alli Dempsey from Owen County High School; Stanley Doerger from Holy Cross High School; Lukas Dziatkowski from Scott County High School; Logan Ellis from Garrard County High School; Channing Everidge from June Buchanan; Matthew Farr from Boyle County High School; Laura Finke from Lloyd Memorial High School; Cathryn Fischer from Henry County High School; Hart Foley from Bourbon County High School; Conner Ford from Pineville High School;

Molly Ford from Madison Central High School; Elizabeth Foster from Apollo High School; Rachel Fowler from Seneca High School; Nick Fowler from South Oldham High School; Amye French from Lincoln County High School; Benjamin Fultz from Saint Xavier High School; Garrett Garneau from Lone Oak High School; Anna-Reid Garrigan from Fulton County High School; Elizabeth Gieske from Beechwood High School; Galvin Greene from The Piarist School; Michaela Gross from Estill County High School; Emma Guilfoil from Bryan Station High School; Katie Hager from Pike County Central High School; Chandler Hall from University Heights Academy; Megan Hamberg from Bishop Brossart High School; Christina Hamby from Dawson Springs High School; Chanda Hampton from Butler County High School; Ryan Harpole from Hickman County High School; Jack Harrison from Trinity High School; Lauren Heller from St. Patrick High School; Jackson Henderson from Grayson County High School;

Taylor Hill from Carroll County High School; Sarah Holloway from Walden School; Lacey Hoover from Knott County Central High School; Marcus Hughes from Crittenden County High School; Megan Hughes from Burgin Independent High School; Di Irakoze from Waggener High School; Riley Jackson from Lexington Catholic High School; Dylan Johnson from Blue Grass Baptist School; Madison Kerley from Barren County High School; Karly Kindoll from Presentation Academy; Emma King from Madisonville North Hopkins High School; James Kuhn from Casey County High School; Morgan Lautner from Sayre School; Chenoah Lessenberry from Glasgow High School; Katie Long from George Rogers Clark High School; Zac Louden from Silver Grove Independent High School; Claire Lyon from Russell High School; Austin Magsig from Tates Creek High School; Darien Martin from Carlisle County High School; Austin Martin from Christian Academy of Carrollton;

Macey Mayes from Muhlenberg County High School; Kellie McAfee from Augusta Independent High School; Stephanie McCormick from Model Laboratory; Katie McFarland from Wayne County High School; Elaina McPhetridge from North Laurel High School; Melika Menard from LaRue County High School; Hannah Meredith from Anderson County High School; Julia Mikulec from Assumption High School; Madeline Millay from Trinity High School; Matt Millay from Meade County High School; Rachyl Miller from Logan County High School; Madisan Miller from Rockcastle County High School; Ethan Mullen from Russellville High School; Grayson Murphy from Pulaski County High School; Elijah Myers from Taylor County High School; Justin Nguyen from Southern High School; Danielle Nichelson from Gallatin County High School; Caitlyn Norman from Phelps High School; Shivani Pampati from Hazard High School; Blanton Park Jr. from Paris High School;

Smruti Patil from Lafayette High School; Brittany Pittman from Southwestern High School; Maggie Pollitt from Fleming County High School; Shania Polson from Warren Central High School; Jon Pope from Somerset Christian School; Hallie Popham from Frederick Fraize High School; Jake Potter from East Ridge High School; Cody Pryor from McCreary Central High School; Cole Puckett from Mayfield High School; Austin Quillen from Bellevue High School; Mason Rice from Clay County High School; Anne Roach from Calvary Christian School; Nicole Robertson from Campbell County High School; Austin Robinson from Bath County High School; Sha-Brei Robinson from Western High School; Tori Robinson from Trinity Christian Academy; Amy Rogers from Raceland Worthington High School; Erica Rogers from Calloway County High School;

Ethan Russell from Shelby County High School; Maddy Rymer from Fairview High School; William Sanders IV from Conner High School; Mike Schurfranz from DeSales High School; Robbie Settles from Beth Haven Christian School; Brett Seymore from Caldwell County High School; Kaleigh Sharpe from Bullitt East High School; Chase Siegel from Dunbar High School; Josh Siekman from North Hardin Christian ; Ellie Simms from Bethlehem High School; Courtney Simpkins from Christian Academy of Louisville; Will Slusher from Harlan High School; Corey Smith from Cordia High School; Sarah Smith from Whitley County High School; Madison Steele from Pendleton County High School; Ashley Stevens from Perry County Central High School; Delaney Stovall from Owensboro High School; Lauren Swearingen from Fern Creek High School; Adrick Tench from Butler Traditional High School; Megan Terry from Bullitt Central High School; Richard Thackrey from Fort Knox High School; Lane Thompson from Metcalfe County High School;

Clay Thornton from Lexington Christian Academy; Latia Thornton from Doss High School; Fox Thorpe from Montgomery County High School; Abby Vansickle from Greenup County High School; Erin Waggoner from Eastern High School; Jack Walter from Highlands Latin School; Cheyenne Warren from North Bullitt High School; Brent Watts from Jackson Independent High School; Katherine Wells from Johnson Central High School; Kaitlyn Wells from Nicholas County High School; Haley White from Lyon County High School; Ross Whittaker from St. Mary High School;

Harrison Wight from Oldham County High School; Caroline Will from Louisville Male High School; Jacob Williams from Clinton County High School; Katie Woodrow from Whitefield Academy; Chris  Woods from Graves County High School; Matthew Yochim from John Hardin High School; Andrew Zaninovich from Paducah Tilghman High School; Nicole Zatorski from Villa Madonna Academy; and Jessie Zhu from Henry Clay High School.